kaboomer Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 (edited) I have three mixes that are all done and ready to take to mastering...I think. I tried pretty much everything to de-ess the lead vocal: several different de-esser plug-ins, automating track volume, destructively editing the waveform, automating eq... Nothing seemed to do anything but give the singer a prominent lisp. So I'm thinking about just skipping the de-essing step completely. I don't think any of the lead vocal esses in these tracks enter rip-your-head-off territory, but what do I know? I've been listening to these tracks for months, and my brain has turned to mush. What do you think? If anyone could check these out and let me know whether these are ready for the mastering guy, I'd be very grateful. Like I said there are 3 tracks, but the first one is the one I'm most worried about: http://www.mediafire.com/?wndlp1qbale http://www.mediafire.com/?gyuxxjly1em http://www.mediafire.com/?a2xcwf2nkye Thanks for checking these out! Edited March 5, 2008 by kaboomer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fader8 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 kaboomer, I listened to the first song and I've got to say that de-essing is the lesser of your problems here. It's a great song but you should strongly consider redoing the mix, or getting some help with it. It really needs to spread out, the guitars are falling all over each other and the drums are really dead. Is that vocal distortion deliberate? Sorry, I really don't mean to be harsh, but when I hear something with potential like this, I'd hate to see you spend all that money on mastering until this mix is cleaned up a lot. Can you get some local help with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 IMO that first track needs de-essing as some of the sibilants are too distracting. I usually favor automating volume. If you're doing it in the right places and with the right amount of volume you shouldn't give him a lisp. Don't try to suppress the sibilants, just turn them down a few dBs. I would forget about Logic's de-esser though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboomer Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hey fader8, David - thanks for the quick responses! Fader8, don't worry about being harsh- I appreciate the honest and constructive feedback. Would you mind elaborating a little on what you mean by saying the mix really needs to spread out? David, I've tried automating volume to kill the esses, but found that it didn't work. Can you give me a rough idea of how many db you usually lower them by? Thanks again! ~ mb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Anywhere between 0.1 dB to 10 dB depending on the source! In fact I was going to say something about the saturation effect on the vocals too.. but then I erased my comments thinking that wasn't the nature of your question. But in my opinion the saturation effect may be responsible for boosting the S'es more than they should be. You could try parallel processing for the saturation, and EQ the saturation... It's very hard to help without having the multi-track session though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fader8 Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Fader8, don't worry about being harsh- I appreciate the honest and constructive feedback. Would you mind elaborating a little on what you mean by saying the mix really needs to spread out? OK, cool. I didn't know how sensitive you were. We all know how musicians can be sometimes! What I meant by spread out was that with the exception of an occasional hit or lick, everything's jammed into the middle and there's little sense of space, and way too much conpression. But honestly, I think everything about the mix should be reworked from the ground up, starting with reworking the sound of those guitars and vox. But, that's just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboomer Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks for the input, David. I know what you mean about finding it hard to comment effectively without having the multitrack. I'd be more than happy to send that to you if you'd be interested in having a quick look, though. I know that's pretty far above and beyond most forum moderators' job description, but if you feel like checking it out, let me know. Thanks! ~ mb P.S. I did use a lot of UA and PSP plugs on this, as well as the URS CSP, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaboomer Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Hey fader8, your instincts are right on the money. I listened to the mix again and agreed it sounded very...mono. Went back into the session and noticed that in fact, it was actually bouncing as a mono file! D'oh! So I fixed that and it already sounds much better. Doesn't change the essy vocals, or all of the issues you flagged, but it sounds a bit more like music now. Thanks for leading me to take another listen! P.S. - Rebounced track is here, for anyone who's curious. http://www.mediafire.com/?wndlp1qbale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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